There are an increasingly large number of devices that have network connectivity. Over the years, network connectivity has been extended to appliances such as refrigerators, home entertainment centers, and interactive box sets for use with television sets, digital cameras, and cell phones. With the evolution of these devices, there have been developments in home networks. For example, WIFI technology enables users to interconnect various network enabled devices wirelessly to form their own local area network. Various services and applications currently exist with the goal of establishing data connectivity between different network locations. The growth of the Internet and other types of networks has contributed to the numerous networking applications that currently exist.
There is also an interest in extending network connectivity to devices that can roam. These devices include cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and stations that can be assembled on vehicles or airplanes. While wireless networks for such roaming devices exist, these networks tend to have limited bandwidth, and can be expensive. In addition, it is difficult for operators of such devices to interact with networks, given that these devices often have poor user-interface features, and limited processing/memory resources for tasks that are often desired from them.
Currently, there are various interoperability issues when different types of network enabled devices are coupled. Often, the different devices operate on incompatible platforms or operating systems. This can cause problems in how these devices share data with one another. Furthermore, connected devices may use different data types (.WAV versus MPEG) and/or data formats that hinder the user's ability to share data amongst devices. As an example, the size of the screen display on a cell phone is typically too small to render images from a digital camera, even if the cell phone is camera-enabled. Often, the result is that when users want to share data amongst connected devices, that user must perform numerous manual steps, such as manually converting data formats.
There are various network applications that have pertinence to this application. One common network application is Instant Messaging (IM)—the service that establishes connectivity amongst users in different locations for purpose of enabling those users to send instant messages to each other. IM allows users to maintain a community list (e.g. “buddy list”), and the list can be configured to inform the user of the status of members in the community. The status information may correspond to the status of a particular member's terminal (if that member's computer is off, the status of that member on the community list may be “signed off”). The status information may also correspond to the status of the IM service or application as it is operated on a particular member's terminal. For example, a user may choose to close an IM application, in which case other members may be notified that the particular member is not available for messaging. The status information may also be provided manually by the user. For example, some IM applications allow the user to select a status (“stepped away”). In each case, the status information provides a mechanism by which a user can inform other select other users of a community of his or her status.
PC ANYWHERE is a troubleshooting application that allows an expert technician to remotely view a terminal for purpose of troubleshooting and software configuration. A user of a recipient terminal may request assistance from an expert. The user may need to be present in order to provide the expert permission to access his or her computer. When the expert logs on to a recipient terminal, the expert can use the PC ANYWHERE application to view the screen of the recipient terminal. The expert can also manipulate the recipient terminal, such as open files and operate applications. In turn, the recipient terminal may perform a series of refresh operations in order to transmit visual data of the recipient terminal's screen to the technician.